Advent of Eternity - Chapter 12 (Patreon)

“You found it, then?” Stix asked once they’d put a fair bit of distance between themselves and the Ruler’s mansion.

“I did,” Knell confirmed. “The coordinates, at least. Unfortunately, they don’t mean much to me. We’re going to need someone that knows how to sail – unless you do?”

“I’ve never set foot on a ship in my life.”

“I’ll take that as a no, then,” Knell said with a chuckle. “In that case, our next target is the docks. We need a ship.”

Stix shrugged and they made their way through the city streets, making their way toward the waterfront. The smell of brine and traces of decay reached Knell’s nostrils as they stepped out onto the wood platform at the edge of Chrisford.

Dozens of ships ranging from little more than glorified rowboats to small galleons were docked along it. The entire area was positively swarming with guards and what Knell suspected to be adventuring groups by their ragtag equipment and grizzled appearances.

“Good sir and madam, take a gander here!” a merchant called to them, waving a necklace around in the air. “The finest jewelry in Chrisford, my word on it.”

Knell ignored him. Dozens of other traders called out to them as they passed, but they swapped targets to other travelers as soon as they realized that neither would pay them the time of day.

At the end of the docks was a long line of taverns overlooking like the seafront. Despite the early hours, loud laughter and conversation came from within them. Knell walked straight past the first few, only stopping for a few seconds to examine each one.

“Are you looking for something in particular?” Stix asked. “If you want to find a ship, wouldn’t one of these taverns work fine? There should be more than a few captains in there.”

“These ones are too high end. Unless you’re sitting on enough money to hire an entire crew, we need to stay realistic,” Knell replied, stopping before a tavern that had seen better days. It wasn’t in a complete state of disrepair, but it was well on its way to it. The windows were boarded up and there were numerous rough patch jobs on its walls. Any paint it might have once had was long since faded and eroded by the salty air.

Loud crashes came from within the building, broken up only by the roar of laughter and the meaty thunk of what Knell suspected to be mugs on fleshy heads.

“This place?” Stix asked doubtfully. “I don’t think any captain worth their weight in rum would be caught dead in a dump like this.”

“Exactly,” Knell said. “You know what that means? They’re desperate.”

The door slammed open and a man sailed out of it, tumbling across the dock and disappearing into the ocean with a loud splash.

“And stay out!” A large woman roared, slamming the door shut behind her. The man clambered back onto the dock, muttering under his breath and wringing his hair out as he staggered over to the next tavern over and stumbled inside.

“Right,” Stix said. “Desperate.”

Knell’s staff clicked against the wood as he approached the tavern and pulled the door open. Stix rolled her eyes and jogged to follow after him. Knell stepped inside, ducking to avoid a mug as it sailed through the air over his head and crashed into the wall.

“Davey, if you throw one more mug, I swear to the Sixteen Seas the next thing flying will be you,” the massive woman from earlier roared, her voice ripping through the cacophony like a buster sword. A man scratched the back of his head sheepishly, sitting down at his table with a mollified expression. The woman lumbered over to Knell, looming over him as she examined his face. “You look a bit young to be in a place like this, boy. Those scars of yours make you ugly, not aged.”

“I’m older than I look,” Knell said. “And I’d like to make my stay as short as possible.”

“Looking for cheap booze, then? You won’t find cheaper.”

“I believe that,” Knell replied. “But I’m afraid not. I’m in search of a ship and a captain for a short trip on a low budget. The trip should only be a few days.”

“How much gold you got?”

“Ten.”

The barmaid let out a booming laugh. “We might be cheap, but not that cheap. Are you trying to find a boat or a bucket?”

“That’s what I told him,” Stix grumbled.

“Are you telling me there isn’t a captain here with a half serviceable Skipper that would do a short, easy trip for ten gold?” Knell asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve got to pay for booze somehow. Ten gold would cover the trip.”

“I could point out a dozen captains from where I stand,” the woman replied. “But ten gold is barely worth the possible risk of sailing around, risking monster or pirate attacks for no further profit. You’re going to be scraping the bottom of the barrel if you want that.”

“Coin is coin. If we don’t get attacked, the captain will make a good bit of profit,” Knell replied. “Can you point us in someone’s direction? I’m not looking for the highest quality here. Just someone willing to do a quick trip in exchange for a little coin.”

“If you’re sure, you could talk to Jasneh over there,” the barmaid said, nodding at a woman with her feet kicked up on a table. She had a hat pulled low over her face, hiding her features. “She’s done odd jobs before, but she drives a hard bargain. I doubt you’ll have much luck finding anyone else dumb enough to take on a risk for that little reward.”

“Much appreciated,” Knell said, then headed toward Jasneh’s table. He lowered himself into a chair carefully, then laid his staff across his lap.